How do I live without chips?

miconsumafuoco
miconsumafuoco Posts: 43 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I love crunchy stuff to eat with my meals, especially with sandwiches. Now that I'm counting calories, chips are just not worth eating. I've tried having baby carrots with my sandwiches and that helps, and air popped popcorn, but plain is not great and adding butter or coconut oil adds too many calories. Any ideas?
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Replies

  • bclarke1990
    bclarke1990 Posts: 287 Member
    If you love crunchy stuff eat carrots and apples. If it's the salt on the chips you crave (more likely), just cut back and your taste buds will adjust quite quickly.
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
    edited June 2016
    If you can handle the salt, pickles are low-cal, crunchy and go with many sandwiches. Maybe some other kind of side dish, like cottage cheese or a salad. I usually just eat the sandwich. It feels weird at first when there is no other thing to eat along with it, if you're used to always having something, but I got used to it.
  • miconsumafuoco
    miconsumafuoco Posts: 43 Member
    Thank you. I like the idea of just letting myself have SOME and figuring it in somehow. Pre-measured baggies sound good. Are Kale chips high in calories? Are they any good? Lol
  • kpeterson539
    kpeterson539 Posts: 220 Member
    Once I tried to make homemade kale chips. They were not to my tasting but everyone likes something different.

    One good thing is that I wasted about $3 giving it a whirl & about 15 minutes in the kitchen. I feel it was a fair experiment to find out that I DIDN'T like it.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    Have you tried baked chips?
  • Josh_lol
    Josh_lol Posts: 317 Member
    Just eat less chips than you normally would. Or maybe don't eat them as often. Just moderate.
  • miconsumafuoco
    miconsumafuoco Posts: 43 Member
    Zipp237 wrote: »
    If you can handle the salt, pickles are low-cal, crunchy and go with many sandwiches. Maybe some other kind of side dish, like cottage cheese or a salad. I usually just eat the sandwich. It feels weird at first when there is no other thing to eat along with it, if you're used to always having something, but I got used to it.

    It DOES feel weird! Lol Maybe that's part of it too. I'm supposed to be changing my habits right? Is it a healthy habit to ALWAYS have chips with a sandwich or soup?? Lol
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    I would figure them in if you miss them that much.
  • Seryjniak
    Seryjniak Posts: 2 Member
    I know that letting chips go seam impossible. I love them too - but read about health issues related to them and think if you want to put that inside yourself. What I do now is once or twice a month i cut potatoes into tiny slices sprinkle LITTLE oil on it and get a lot of sweet paper on it and some tabasco - get it into oven and heat up for 20 minutes.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Jicama is sweet, crunchy, and low calorie. It is some work to get at, but mmm.
  • JShailen
    JShailen Posts: 184 Member
    If it's something I feel isn't worth the calories then I won't eat it. If you love it enough, then it's worth it (then it's a matter of cutting calories elsewhere to fit it in).

    If it's just the salt and crunch you're after then a small apple and salted cucumber with your soup or sandwich can fit the bill.
  • miconsumafuoco
    miconsumafuoco Posts: 43 Member
    Dnarules wrote: »
    Have you tried baked chips?

    This is where I get wishy-washy. If a food, other than a vegetable, doesn't have significant protein, I feel like I'm wasting my calories on something that won't keep me fuller longer. (I also just lost 20 pounds on Atkins so I'm still kinda carb-phobic.) But then I considered baked bc then I figure, if I'm still able to stay in my calories, it's fine. Maybe I can experiment...
  • BiggDaddy58
    BiggDaddy58 Posts: 406 Member
    I have substituted Special K cracker chips ( different flavors) 25 chips=120 calories and also Good Thins (different flavors) 22-24 chips for 130 calories roughly
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Also, my wife loves Cheetos. She practices the portion control of using a common sized bowl such as one eats too much cereal from, and she reaches into the bag and grabs some Cheetos and puts them in the bowl. Then she puts the clip on the bag and takes her bowl of Cheetos to the TV and resumes her favorite activity. I admire her portion control with Cheetos. She can make a big bag of Cheetos last a week. That bowl holds about 1 oz.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    edited June 2016
    Thank you. I like the idea of just letting myself have SOME and figuring it in somehow. Pre-measured baggies sound good. Are Kale chips high in calories? Are they any good? Lol

    Kale chips, such as I've had, are quite good and quite expensive. They are not on my list of things to get often. And they are very low in calories and very high in nutrition. As miracle foods go, they are good at pretending to be one.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Save some calories somewhere in your daily intake and have some with your sandwich
    This.

    I just ate some chips. :)
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
    Zipp237 wrote: »
    If you can handle the salt, pickles are low-cal, crunchy and go with many sandwiches. Maybe some other kind of side dish, like cottage cheese or a salad. I usually just eat the sandwich. It feels weird at first when there is no other thing to eat along with it, if you're used to always having something, but I got used to it.

    It DOES feel weird! Lol Maybe that's part of it too. I'm supposed to be changing my habits right? Is it a healthy habit to ALWAYS have chips with a sandwich or soup?? Lol

    It's very weird. "Is this it? A sandwich? What do I reach for?" Strange at first. I honestly don't miss the chips. I know I was one of those people who always had chips with a sandwich, but it seems like a lifetime ago. Getting over the business of feeling required to eat something with my sandwich was the hardest part. After two or three meals, it didn't feel the least bit odd to skip chips.

    Skipping chips is a healthy habit. I made a lot of new healthy habits. I like phrase, "Healthy Habit." Very cool.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I usually have some cottage cheese with my sandwiches. or some veggies. but thats me. I will have chips on occasion though
  • sssgilbe
    sssgilbe Posts: 89 Member
    My local Kroger sells Magic Pops http://www.deliceglobal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=150 They give you the crunch and not many calories. Four of the deli size and a Laughing Cow light wedge is under 100 calories. There's a chocolate drizzled version for 40 calories each.
  • supersimonesquirrel
    supersimonesquirrel Posts: 74 Member
    I started having a side of chopped fruit like strawberries or grapes to eat with my sandwich. Or some days having chopped cucumbers or pickles. It's just really nice to have something tasty with a sandwich. Took a little while to break the habit and stop eating the chips or crisps as they are called over here in the UK. Will never turn them down if someone opens a bag though :smile:
  • generallyme2
    generallyme2 Posts: 403 Member
    I like pickles or cottage cheese (with celery to dip in it) for sandwich lunches. I also like chips so I get the Doritos Salsa Verde because they have tons of flavor and one weighed out portion does the trick :)
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
    Have you tried baking your own chips? Really simple and tasty. Carrot, beetroot and parsnip chips is also a really yummy combination.
  • Caroline393
    Caroline393 Posts: 71 Member
    Have you tried Pop Chips? The BBQ ones are delicious and very flavorful. I eat a serving of those with lunch (1 serving = 20 chips = 120 calories). I also like plain popcorn (or just lightly salted) or these snap pea crisps I found. The lightly salted ones are very tasty and they've got a pleasant crunch (1 serving = 22 crisps = 110 calories). I also just got a bag of sweet potato chips to try. I'm not sure how many calories are in a serving of those, but they're supposed to be healthier I believe and they're really tasty. I've also seen tons of recipes for zucchini chips and kale chips which you could try and see if they're to your liking
  • miconsumafuoco
    miconsumafuoco Posts: 43 Member
    sssgilbe wrote: »
    My local Kroger sells Magic Pops http://www.deliceglobal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76&Itemid=150 They give you the crunch and not many calories. Four of the deli size and a Laughing Cow light wedge is under 100 calories. There's a chocolate drizzled version for 40 calories each.

    Those Magic Pops look like they would be a great substitute for bread or crackers!
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